Is there such a thing as a prepaid credit card? I know there are prepaid debit cards. I want to do some business with an internet company that will only accept credit cards - no debit cards, no paypal, no c2it. They won't even let me pay in advance. I am reluctant to give them the cc number for one of my existing cards. I really can't qualify for another card. Prepaid would work. Thanks
Check out this article on prepaid credit cards: http://bankrate.com/crt/news/cc/20020506a.asp?prodtype=cc Other than the added cost it should work fine.
I was told that the numbers on a debit card are different and that a business can tell if it is debit or credit, and they can refuse to take debit cards if they want. I started a Google search on this, and the ads say the cards are interchangeable. But, the company I spoke with said no debit cards accepted. Now I am really confused.
As I continue my search, I am finding that the debit cards for Visa nd Mastercard say that they are accepted everywhere their credit cards are accepted. Is there a requirement for the merchants to accept debit cards if they also accept the credit cards?
Did they ask you if it is a debit card? I would tell them "NO" and let them ring it up as a CC. It has worked for me
Debit cards and credit cards are different beasts. The original question was is there such a thing as a pre-paid credit card and can you use one to pay for a service. The answers are yes there is and yes you can. Now debit cards come in three categories: One, debit cards that do not have a VISA or MasterCard logo on them. An example would be a ATM card of some sore that a grocery store would take. Two, a debit that has a VISA or MasterCard logo on it that you just swipe. Three, a debit that has a VISA or MasterCard logo on it that you have to enter a PIN number to make work. The major points about debit cards are that they pull funds directly from your checking account and they do not offer you the legal protections that credit cards do. If you loose one you should notify your bank within 48 hours of you learning of the loss. I myself categorically refuse to have a debit card. If you want to know more you may want to look at the book "What Every Credit Card User Needs to Know" by Howard Strong. In this book Strong refers to debit cards as financial death cards. Good luck.
It's been my contention that they say that in order to separate those who had good enough scores to get credit and those who just use their debit/credit cards. The only time I had a problem with that was when I rented from Avis on priceline and it said when I checked out, no check visa cards and sure enough, they wanted a real credit card. They only knew because they looked at it. I would do the transaction and see what happens. I doubt seriously that they will know or reject it.
try www.cashcard.citicards.com I think it's supposed to be for teenagers, but adults could get it too...
It Depends On Your Individual Needs . . . I got a Visa Buxx card for my daughter. You can use it as both a Visa card and a debit card where you enter a PIN number. It was a great way to keep her from carrying around a lot of cash for school expenses, etc. www.visabuxx.com I got a business debit card for myself. I don't trust having a Visa or debit card tied directly to my credit union checking account. Although there is the lack of legal protection, it is still a way to have the convenience of a purchase card. www.hiberniabank.com Regarding Car Rentals: I use debit and check cards at Budget Car Rental. The difference between those and a charge card? The credit card has a predetermined amount put on hold until you bring the car back. Then the hold goes off and the actual charges are made against the card. With the debit/check cards, an actual predetermined amount is subtracted from the available amount. Once you return the car, the difference between the subtracted amount and your actual charges is credited back to the card. Discovered another debit/Visa check card, however, the fee to me is very high. Has anyone dealt with MasterBuxx before? www.masterbuxx.com
Thomas - yes, merchants are required by Visa & Mastercard to take their debit cards if they accept their credit cards. That may change soon because Wal-mart is currently leading a class-action suit against Visa over the issue. Another thought - do any of your cards offer one-time use numbers like Discover does?
Hi I can use my debit/atm card from Wamu like a credit card. Like at those grocery sdtore machines I swipe it it asks if it is credit/debit I can hit credit or it it will ask if I need to use a pin number I choose no and it treats it like a credit card. Vons grocery was treatinging it like a debit till my hubby showed me you can just hit no pin number and then is goes through like cardit card ..... Jamie
Plus, used as a credit card the retailer has to pay between 1-3% (possible more for AMEX) to Visa / MC. If you use as ATM card and provide PIN number, you may be on the hook for a $1-2 from your bank for a foreign ATM fee. MONEY magazine did a pretty good story on this. My bank occasionally offers incentives for using our Visa Debit card 10X in a month without PIN number. Those months we buy gas etc to get the promotional offer.
